Several times, it has come my way that by friends or
a local dealer will have some used Leica R lenses!

The problem with Leica R lenses, when compared
to Leica M lenses is the diversity of manufacturers
that made the Leica R lenses. My understanding
is that Leica may have designed its Leica R lenses,
but had them made by another manufacturer. The
optical quality of the Leica R lenses varied enour-
mously. Leica made only the lenses for the M
system. Would that be right?

I usually look at Leica Wiki for some information. On
the internet I look for reviews, or on flickr for some
pics to see. Unfortunately, reviews and pics are not
always enough.

Which are other sources for information you may
want to recommend with regard to Leica R lenses?

Lenses that have come my way recently are the
following. Which of them, because of optical perfor-
mance, would you ditch or keep to use either with
film or digital ??

I have used the 60 and the 180 for a long time. Both made by the Leica factories and not outsourced. I used the 90 earlier (but switched to the 100 some time ago). All of these are among the best optics available, both the glass and the mechanics, but have been designed for slightly different uses.

See www.imx.nl for details of their performance, as well as for how and where Leitz products have been made .